If memory serves me correctly, the reason the United States doesn't use the metric system while the rest of the world does is a direct consequence of WW2. Before WW2 most nations still used their own system of measurement. After WW2 when they were rebuilding they decided to switched over to the metric system to make cooperating in reconstruction easier.
Most other nations that were not demolished during WW2 were developing nations, so switching over to the metric system was easy. Then you have Canada, Australia, and New Zealand who switched over because the UK was switching over and they still felt a deep connection with the mother country.
The United States, on the other hand, was not damaged at all from the war and was already a developed nation. When congress considered switching over they had a committee analyze how much money it would cost to convert all of our developed infrastructure to the metric system. In short it was too expensive for the congress of that era to want to switch over.
Today we refuse to switch over because we're annoyed with everyone telling us we need to switch over.
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Mah_Buddy_Keith
Mar 03, 2017 at 10:41PM EST
Sift Green
Mar 04, 2017 at 10:26AM EST in reply to